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SolarCity to bring solar power to military housing

Associated Press

Posted:
11/12/2012 11:38:18 PM PST

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Thousands of military homes in southern New Mexico and West Texas will be fitted with solar panels as part of a $1 billion plan by a California company to bring solar to military installations across the country.

SolarCity on Tuesday announced it will be installing photovoltaic panels on homes at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and Texas' Fort Bliss.

The company is already working with housing managers at bases in Arizona, California, Colorado and Hawaii.

In all, SolarCity aims to install photovoltaic systems on as many as 120,000 military homes over five years.

Company officials say the systems at Fort Bliss and White Sands will be capable of offsetting more than half of the electricity typically used in each community.

Army officials say Fort Bliss has a goal of being energy self-sufficient by 2018.